Merry Christmas!

It's a white Christmas here in Hampton, Connecticut.

Have a very Merry Christmas, everyone. 2013 will be the year I finally become a published author. Thank you for helping me get here.

Many blessings,
Helen

When Words Fail

My memories of Sandy Hook Elementary School include laughter, swings, drawing, singing, and reading. It's where I discovered the magic of words. It's where I discovered that I loved to draw horses.

 It's where I met my first teachers, and they were kind, supportive and helpful. They comforted me when I froze at the sight of a flash card. They encouraged me to draw, draw, draw and even supplied me with all the paper I could ever want.

At Sandy Hook Elementary School, my dreams were never called silly or unattainable. I met a lifelong friend on that playground, and we shared the same birthday.

I never felt scared or judged there. It was a place of fun, discovery and friendship. That school is a part of me, forever.

Sometimes, words can not adequately express the depth of unspeakable grief.

All of my love and prayers to the grieving families. My arms are around all of you.

Galloping along....

The scanner was whirring all weekend...

So that means only one thing: ALL OF THE PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE DONE!

The chapters are formatted (I chose Garamond for my font) and now the layout can begin.

Many, many thanks to my design wizard husband!

The book is taking shape.....

America's Son, copyright 2012 by Helen Scanlon.

my heavy heart...

I am sad, I lost a friend. More than a friend--an inspiration.

This book would not have been written without UC Ringmaster. He told me to paint his portrait and to write his story, and the stories of his friends and ancestors.

Who am I to say 'no' to a two-time World Champion?

Thanks, Ring. I will miss our visits, so much.


 A Wish for an Old Friend
by Helen Scanlon

I wish you sunbeams in your mane
I wish you wind under your hooves

I wish on a sparkling star tonight
for wishes that come true.

Go here to read my tribute to The Great Red Horse: 

http://greatredhorse.blogspot.com/2012/11/rest-in-peace-my-friend.html

DONE and off to the designer!

Spent several hours yesterday typing on The Snowman, (my nickname for my Mac laptop), and the final changes have been made and my WAY AWESOME designer gets to have a crack at these 72 Word files.

My designer just happens to be my husband. He's a Graphic Designer and a tech guru--a perfect combo of logic and creativity. He is just that incredible. Plus, I happen to think he's pretty darn cute. BONUS.

Wait--72 files? Dang. Is that what I've been doing for the past two and a half years? Gracious.

Now what? Do I sit back and enjoy some idle moments? Heck no. I have started on my SECOND book already--The Great Red Horse. As the snow starts to fly you can find me in my little drawing studio illustrating my heart out--because--the outline for The Great Red Horse is already done. 

Onward!

Watch this space for the BIG publication announcement....

PS new book blog is here: http://greatredhorse.blogspot.com/

Hello laptop, my old friend.....

....I've come to work on this book again....

FINAL changes!

Let me repeat that:

FINAL CHANGES!

*grin*

I love my editor. Not only does she use a purple pen, but she says stuff like, "Like your book? I don't like it. I LOVE IT!"

Heeeee!

The stories of the University of Connecticut horses will be in PRINT before long. I can't wait to share this book with all of you!

So what's left?

1. Final tweaks to the manuscript *cracks whip*
2. Design and layout of text, front and back covers, spine, etc (I will let my designer worry about that stuff, that's why he gets the BIG money, haha).
3. Final permissions for use of archival material
4. Endnotes and index (Gaaaaaaahhhhh...Okay, my editor said she will help and that it's NO BIG DEAL. Goodness, she's the best).
5. Convert the whole thing to a PDF (again, letting my overpaid designer worry about that). (In case you haven't noticed, that's sarcasm). *smiley face*
6. SEND IT TO THE PUBLISHER!
7. Ice cream.


Thank you for coming along for the ride! This is FUN.

Halloween and Hurricanes....

Hurricane Sandy arrived with a bang.

She ripped through and tore up the eastern seaboard, leaving millions uprooted. My thoughts are with all those affected by the storm's wrath.

Hampton, Connecticut fared well, just some power outages. We were lucky. Blessed. That wind was fierce and angry, and it genuinely scared me. Ever hear a million-ton freight train? I can't imagine what it was like to be in the storm's direct path. My heart goes out to all who are rebuilding and waiting.

After the storm hit and the wind stopped roaring, my husband and I decided to carry out our original plan of going to Cape Cod to celebrate our 16th anniversary (yes, we were married on Halloween). The power was out at home, the reservations were made in Eastham, so off we went. Hot showers and clam chowder awaited us--again, lucky.

The Cape was largely unaffected by Sandy, the sun was shining as we pulled into the motel parking lot. And, hello? No one but us? "No Vacancy"--but we'll take a couple of Scanlons. Happiness!

And here's some BOOK NEWS! My editor is DONE and we meet for a final time this week.

I almost can't believe it.

I am in the home stretch.

Here I am with a handsome thoroughbred named Andrew. He decided to smooch on me and blow horsey whispers in my ear as his owner, Sara, gave him a wither scratch.

Andrew was one of my charges many moons ago, and I'd like to think he remembered me. He was so young last time I saw him--and now, he is a Cape Cod pony, breathing in the clean, sea air everyday. That air agrees with him, he is fit, healthy and ready for a brisk gallop on the beach.

Why do I write about horses? Why do I feel compelled to paint them and draw them and fill my days with them? Why horses?

This photograph should answer those questions for you:

Be well, everyone. Hug those you love. Don't be afraid, comfort is close by.

And one more...

Me and UConn junior herd stallion, UC Doc Sanchez.

He wanted my attention as I was talking, so I offered my hand for him to nuzzle. He played and fiddled with my fingers as I blabbed about his sire, UC Doc Daniels. Yes, you could say he was being really cute.

UC Doc Sanchez has his sire's kind energy---not to mention that rich bay coat and otherwordly Morgan horse beauty. Simply breathtaking...


"Sanny" is  a superstar, and he likes me. *smile*

halfway...halfway....

My editor has informed me that she is HALFWAY done with the final draft!

*deep breath*

That's halfway to the design phase....

Okay, I have discovered that the journey from "writer" to "author" is a long one, filled with delightful little speed bumps and distractions.

Get this: I have re-written the WHOLE book about six times. Because, as Hemingway stated, "The first draft of anything is crap." He actually said a stronger word than "crap," but this is a family show and all.

I had to force myself to walk away from the final draft, slam the laptop SHUT and go out and have some fun already.

I printed it out, my Canon i9990 whizzing and clicking as it devoured about a gallon of black ink. I slapped myself when I felt the need to re-write something YET AGAIN. I forced myself to look away from the words on the monitor.

I gave the final draft to my beautiful editor. She e-mailed me and told me she was basically squealing with delight over it.

So, I figured squealing with delight is a good thing. I need to sit back and allow the final product to emerge, all burnished and gleaming.

My editor has a purple pen. That makes me smile.

The photo is of me  UC Doc Sanchez, junior herd stallion at UConn. He's an enchanting little bay, cute as a button and very polite. The above photo captures the exact moment he stole my heart. (Many thanks to my husband, Steve, for his photography prowess).

Many thanks also go  to Kayleigh Meyer for introducing me to "Sanny." He is a son of UC Doc Daniels--and he is totally handsome, sweet and utterly charming. I mean, hello? He's a stallion and I am just hanging out with him in his stall, like he is some kid's friendly little 4-H pony.

Those UConn Morgans are pretty special...

Nothin' left for me to do--except DANCE

I finished my sources pages yesterday. *wipes sweat from brow*

All I needed was a day with no plans, a little rain, and BAM! All done.

Now, the final draft is ready to go to Nan, my wonderful editor.

NOW that I have nothing to do but wait for the final corrections--I think I'll start another book. 

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT AHEAD:

Keep reading:

Wait for it:

Here it is:

My second project will be a children's illustrated book on UC Ringmaster Titled The Great Horse. Kids love the UConn horses, why not make a book just for them?

And, I know lots of adults, such as myself, who absolutely adore children's books. Children's books are sweet, funny, imaginative, joyful, colorful, educational and just plain FUN. They are for everyone. I have quite a collection of children's books, including first editions of Marguerite Henry's beautiful masterpieces King of the Wind and Justin Morgan Had a Horse--both feature the amazing artwork of Wesley Dennis, my equine art hero. (yes, first editions--don't be jealous! *book geek alert*)

Some my other favorite children's book authors and illustrators include:

Normand Chartier--(and I met him two days ago! I've been a fan for YEARS! What a super nice guy and great artist): http://www.normandchartier.com/

Barbara McClintock--oh my...just exquisite work: http://www.barbaramcclintockbooks.com/

Steven Kellogg (I met him, too--I was a little kid and he was giving a drawing demo at my school. He helped ignite a creative fire in my heart): http://www.stevenkellogg.com/

Ricard Scarry--I grew up on his books. He passed away in 1994, and his books are still as popular as ever: http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/richard-scarry

....Just to name a few.

Oh, and if you love children's books as much as I do, you NEED to go the Connecticut Children's Book Fair: http://bookfair.uconn.edu/

Thanks again for coming along on this exciting book journey!

UC Serendipity

It's not everyday one gets to ride a Reserve World Champion.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to swing a leg over the incredible UC Serendipity, 1993 Reserve World Champion Hunter, daughter of two-time World Champion, UC Ringmaster and the beloved mare, Delmaytion Desire.

I had pulled a back muscle just the day before--I rescued two cats, one of said felines was a whopping 15 pounds. And, combined with the the other smaller cat, his mother--I was hauling around nearly 25 pounds of tabby. Woke up with an "ow!" as I pitifully rolled out of bed.

But, hey, put a beautiful saddled horse in front of me and pulled back muscle be damned. I'm riding, gol dang it!

SO GLAD I did. 'Dippy' was a gracious hostess, and she trotted out beautifully. Her trot has spring and pep, and combined with that INCREDIBLY comfortable Barefoot Endurance saddle (omg I need one of these!), my back never felt a twinge. I felt as if I could ride all day, strained spine and all.

Okay, so not only did I ride this awesome mare (28 years old and you'd never know it!), I got to meet some of the famous Trail Riding Thompsons! Yes, the very ones who sing "goin' off the trails on a crazy horse!" as they trot along...or is it gallop along? Megan and Burnie, I thank you for a great morning at Depot View filled with entertaining stories, laughs and donuts.

And, much to my delight, Megan had stacks of photo albums and scrapbooks for me to peruse. JOY! Lots of UConn history in those laminated pages, including some incredible pro shots by Howard Schatzberg.

I can see why 'Dippy' won so much, she still possesses a Champion look and sparkle. Megan and Dippy were quite the superstar team. Now, UC Serendipity enjoys an active and comfortable life at Megan's farm. Her golden-red coat gleams with health.

Life is good. Ride horses!

Mama O doin' sidesaddle!

Just one more testament to the versatility of the UConn Morgan, and the Morgan breed itself.

Here is the always lovely and elegant UC Ovation rockin' it old school at the Woodstock Fair yesterday. Mama O earned a shiny red second place ribbon in a large sidesaddle class.

Hands up, who just adores this mare?

"I do, I do!" says everyone, everywhere. *grin*

Here she is again--a beautiful mare on a beautiful day. It doesn't get much better than this, really.

Final draft

Thank goodness I had enough ink.

Here it is: the final draft. Over two years of writing and research--in the homestretch for publication.

My editor is gonna have some fun now! *smile*

Riding a beloved UConn legend....

Here I am with UC Ovation, aka "Mama O."

I had the distinct honor of riding her this past June.

She is a lovely, patient mare, and she gave me wonderful ride. She is in her 20s now, and some gray has sprouted on her beautiful face, proudly displaying her nobility and wisdom.

She is absolutely gorgeous.

I must admit I had a few shivers of awe when I swung a leg over and landed on her back. I thought of all the students she taught, all the hearts she touched. This mare was loved by so many.

Wow. How lucky am I? (And, I get to ride her again!)

Thank you, UC Ovation.

Rewrites....

Some of the early chapters needed fine-tuning, as they lacked the flow of later chapters.
Chapter One reads a A LOT different than chapter 47. Makes sense, doesn't it? So, I tweaked and fixed and revised--much better.

The timetable for completion has also been tweaked, I hope to have the book ready by the Holidays. I don't want to rush to get it ready by fall, there's still more editing to do.

A few have asked me why I ultimately decided to go with Createspace instead of sending out a mountain of manuscripts to publishers.

1. I don't want a mountain of rejection letters.  I need to be realistic--I am a first-time author trying to get published in the middle of an economic recession. Plus, my name isn't Snooki, so I am not a 'sure bet.' (Snooki from Jersey Shore has a BESTSELLER. Wrap your heads around that for a minute.)

2. I want to retain total control over the finished product. This book is a labor of love for me, it's 'my baby.' I like that Creatspace allows for the ever-elusive creative freedom. The reins are in my hands.

3. I love the UConn Morgans and I want their stories published. They deserve that honor.

Enjoy your summer with a good book! I just finished Crazy Good by Charles Leerhsen. It's the incredible true story of the famous pacer, Dan Patch. Highly recommended.

And get thee to your local bookstore and look around. You may find something that speaks to you!

Thanks for your support of me and My Horse, My Heart. I would not have gotten this far without all of you cheering me on!

Getting on with it....

Hello dear weekend--let's go to work!
I get a lot done in the morning-- that seems to be when my creative mojo is in high gear. By afternoon, I can be like a piece of toast that is slightly charred. Dry, crumbly and happy to have lots of butter. But, I digress. But, not really--I love butter. Julia Child was right about the stuff.

Speaking of butter, I bought a big, succulent artichoke yesterday. You're hearing me!

Now that all of this talk of butter is out of the way, how about a book update? Well, okay then!

I added a new chapter on the current junior stallions UC Domination, UC Doc Sanchez and UC Mastermind.

I added a wonderful memory to the Mentor chapter.

I gave my editor the UC Taffy chapter, as I forgot to give it to her for the first go-around.

I finished, maybe, the illustrations. One of them is pictured above--that's the gorgeous UC Lyric. I say maybe because I am always drawing and I may have more. My husband commented that he really liked the quick, loose and expressive quality of the drawings and that perhaps I should just let them be. I agree, and I think the drawings show how much fun I had capturing these incredible horses on paper. So, I decided to keep the illustrations in pencil.

I scanned all the archives from UConn's Animal Science Department. Thanks to Jennifer Simionello for hooking me up with some wonderful history!

Then, I have to tackle the index and the sources page. This may take a little while...

We're still on track! I hope all of you can have the book in your hands by fall or early winter.

Thanks again for all of your support. This is a lot of work, but it never stops being fun and exciting.

Hope you are enjoying your summer.

Helen
 

Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
It's a sunny summer day

and did I get a parking ticket? NO WAY!

Hey, it worked! Just when I thought UConn's parking services had no heart. Thanks, whoever you are.

UConn's Junior Stallions

There is one final chapter I must write...

I must include in my book the stories of UConn's current junior stallions UC Doc Sanchez, UC Domination and UC Mastermind. They have the distinct honor of carrying on the incredible UConn Morgan lines.

Sanchez and Domination are sons of the incredible Doc Daniels (the book's cover boy) and Mastermind is a son of the mighty Ringmaster.

Sanchez and Domination already have a few Championship titles to their names. Young, handsome AND brilliant--just doesn't get any better than that!

Updates!

Getting all the photos (and the permission to use them)organized is HARD FREAKIN' WORK (but I love this stuff--so this is NOT a complaint)! AND my designer threw some techno-jargon at me that sounds like "high res" "jay pegs" and "300 dpi." Something about "pixies" and print quality. *wink*

Okay, I am NOT that techno-ignorant, but some of this designer talk does make my head spin. So glad he's dealing with all of that--leaving it to the pro.

Speaking of pros, I have the Big Meeting with my ultra-swell  editor on Friday. She tells me my book is "fabulous." Okay, anyone who uses the term "fabulous" with me gets a gold star. Fabulous! I love it!

Here's a new pencil illustration, it's titled "Calling to the Mares." 

checking in...

Hello, dear readers!

Did you know I am on facebook? Yup! Click 'like' to stay up-to-date on my writing and art projects.

Go here:
Helen Scanlon of Sound the Bugle Studio facebook page!

Also--my editor is like a flash of lightning--beautiful, brilliant and FAST! *in awe*

oh, editor, my editor...

The manuscript is now in my editor's capable hands.

Right on track for fall publication!

ONWARD!!!

UC Doc Daniels print

If you didn't win the UC Doc Daniels print at the UConn horse sale and auction, don't despair--you can purchase it for only $22, signed and ready for framing.

The print is a high-res image on high-quality glossy photo paper, the price includes shipping anywhere in the US. CT residents add 6.35% sales tax. 

E-mail me at soundthebuglestudio (at) charter.net to order your print.

UConn Horse Auction

I wonder who won my UC Doc Daniels print at the UConn Horse Auction and Sale yesterday?

If you didn't win, no worries--I will be offering this print for sale in the very near future.

Congrats to the winner!

Two fact checks down...

....ONE to go!

Then, this big ol' manuscript gets handed over to the brilliant and beautiful Nannyberry for her editing magic.

Perhaps I should tell you who my publisher is?

It is Createspace, Amazon's amazing publishing company. They are pretty awesome--very helpful and knowledgeable. So, no worries, Kindle users--you will be able to order My Horse, My Heart and get it directly on your Kindle device thingy.

(Can you tell I don't have a Kindle, and hence, have no idea how it works? Go ahead and laugh at me, it's okay. I laugh at myself all the time).

Thanks, as always, for coming along on this wonderful book journey with me. It's good to have your company!

ask and ye shall receive

I snagged an editor, and I am going to shout it from the rooftops:

She's perfect, she's wonderful, she's fabulous and now she's MY editor!

Three cheers for Nannyberry!

Nan King, writer and English Instructor, has agreed to tackle My Horse, My Heart. She's my writin' sister--I was in an incredible writers' group with her and we've been friends forever. I trust her implicitly. She will take good care of my "baby."

Ah yes, it's a good day!

Must include a big shout-out to my other writin' sister: MAUREEN!

I love you guys! Thanks for helping this writer.

(Maureen, I will never forget the pink cake you brought to our first group meeting. *smile*)

onward!

Yup, I decided to go with a publishing partner.

So, that's figured out....whew! *wipes sweat from brow*

What's left?

1. Fact checks. (They are going well so far)
2. Editing.
3. More editing.
4. Designing.
5. Send it off.....

Did I mention that American Morgan Horse Association Hall-of-Famer John Bennett is writing the foreword? Well, he is.

How awesome is that?

Stay tuned!

publishing partner?

I may have just discovered my publishing partner for My Horse, My Heart.

I need to do some research before I spill the deets--but, it sounds really good so far.

I had an informative (and motivational!) conversation with a local author who told me about a great opportunity that worked very well for him and another author who just published his fifth book.

Stay tuned for more. I really would love to see the book in print by fall.

(Now, on to pester my fact checkers!)

Celebrate!

Last night, my husband treated me to a delicious celebratory dinner at the Altnaveigh Inn, Mansfield. On the way, we passed the subject of My Horse, My Heart--the University of Connecticut horse barns.
...on our way, just take a left off of Horsebarn Hill Rd....
We're here! Steve proudly announced that we were there to celebrate my book completion, and many congratulations followed. Then, we were seated at one of the best tables in the restaurant. I felt quite pampered, I just love the Altnaveigh!

We were seated next to the fireplace. Romantic and cozy--I'll drink to that!
Our awesome server brought me a carrot cake complete with a festive candle. What a way to celebrate nearly two years of writing and research! Please note Steve's fantastic bright green St. Patty's tie--boy, do I ever I love that man o' mine. Thank you for a great evening, sweetie!

Many, many thanks to the Altnaveigh Inn and Restaurant for making my celebration dinner a memorable one. (I highly recommend their Surf 'n Turf--WOW.)

Now that I am well-fed and feeling a surge of creative energy, time to edit like the wind and get this labor of love published!

And--thank YOU for following along and supporting me. I can't get this huge, goofy smile off my face. :-)